Multi-Touch Running On Hacked Googlephone

Hacker Luke Hutchison has successfully brought multi-touch to the T-Mobile G1 Googlephone. The video shows that it’s a rather clunky implementation right now, but as Luke points out, this is v.1.0:

This is a proof of concept, people — of course it will be optimized over time — the fact it’s not done yet doesn’t mean it can’t be or won’t be. Apple’s engineers were paid mega moola to implement their bling, I was not.

How does it work? Luke has patched the Linux kernel of the Android OS to tweak the (Synaptics) touchpad driver. As this is a software only modification, we assume that the abilities to sense multiple fingers are built in to the hardware already.

You’ll also need modified applications to take advantage of the new multitouch capabilities. Luke has provided a browser, a maps application, a photo viewer plus the vector-style demo app you see in the video.

Best of all, you don’t need to do any hacking yourself. There’s a downloadable, pre-patched version of the firmware available, ready to be installed. Proceed with caution — you could kill your G-1, although you’ll probably be fine. Right up until you get sick of the clunky zooming and throw the phone out the window at least.